


All You Need is Love

by hcwlingnights



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Cheryl deserves love, F/F, kittens heal all wounds, the Coopers and Blossoms aren't related because fuck that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-18
Updated: 2017-05-18
Packaged: 2018-11-02 05:14:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10937736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hcwlingnights/pseuds/hcwlingnights
Summary: Cheryl's a big softie for animals, and a little companion can go a long way towards warming her heart.





	All You Need is Love

**Author's Note:**

> I keep portraying Cheryl as a villain in my stories, but I really do like her, so here's some fluff to hopefully make up for it.
> 
> And I'm definitely not just procrastinating writing the next chapter of Straight for the Castle.

**_companion_ **

_noun_

_one that keeps company with another_

* * *

 

Cheryl Blossom would deny it, but the woman was a huge softie towards animals. When Jason was around he more than once had to console his sister after an ASPCA ad ran on screen displaying images of suffering and saddened animals, and talk her out of purchasing the entirety of any Adoption Day sale they happened across when walking around town. Not that she'd ever be able to, as Penelope was allergic to anything with fur, and refused to allow her children any other type of pet, like a bird or a turtle, saying they're far too unsanitary. Once Jason had won Cheryl a goldfish at the annual Riverdale Fair when they were in elementary school, but quickly decided to never go that route again when the goldfish died a few days later and Cheryl grieved for a full week.

Needless to say, when Cheryl was walking along Sweetwater River, talking aloud to Jason and telling him about her day, and heard a distressed mewing, there was nothing that could stop her from rushing towards the sound. When she found the source of the mews, her heart broke. 

A kitten had become ensnared in a discarded fishing net, and was trying unsuccessfully to detangle itself, effectively only making it worse. Cheryl swooped down on the animal, making small soothing noises as she quickly freed little creature and picked it up, cradling it in her arms. It was a very attractive cat, mostly white, with splotches of orange and black here and there along its body. The most adorable feature of the kitten's was its Pom Pom of a tail, all black and stubby. Cheryl vast and mostly useless knowledge of cat breeds informed her that the little one was a Japanese Bobtail, known for its playful attitude, which was confirmed as the kitten reached up and bopped Cheryl's nose with a paw, drawing a laugh from the redhead. She inspected the curious cat carefully, and noticed that it was greatly malnourished, and was missing small patches of fur from where tufts had been yanked out. Instinctively Cheryl held the kitten closer to her chest, and before she knew it, she was walking automatically to the first place that came to mind.

The Cooper Residence.

Cheryl practically lived there now, after Betty, Polly, and even Alice embraced her after seeing the effects of Penelope's verbal abuse. Technically she still lived with her mother, but she was almost never at Thornhill, with the Cooper's guest room having been all but claimed by the majority of Cheryl's things. Before she knew it, she was taking the spare key from where it was hidden under the mailbox, and walking directly into the house.

She was not, however, expecting to see a partially undressed Betty sitting up on the countertop in the kitchen, with an equally undressed Veronica standing between her legs, the girls locked in a heated make out session. Cheryl was so startled she almost dropped her new companion. Not that she was surprised, the walls weren't particularly thick and Betty can be very vocal in her activities with Veronica.

"Can you two useless lesbians please take this into a private setting?!" She exclaimed, unconsciously covering the kitten's eyes as she walked past the now very flustered girls who were scrambling to get their clothes back on. 

"Like you and Polly are any better." Veronica scoffed, causing Betty to blush and crinkle her nose at the thought of her sister doing certain… things, with the redhead, before she caught sight of their little visitor. Instantly she was cooing to the creature, sliding off the counter and looking over Cheryl's shoulder as the girl wrapped the kitten in a fluffy towel, drying him off from the river's spray and attempting to keep him warm.

"Well who's this little fellow?" She asked softly, dangling her fingers for the kitten to bat at as she noticed how lovingly Cheryl was gazing at the animal in her arms.

"I found him tangled in a net around Sweetwater. Some asshole probably just threw the net overboard when they were done and this little one probably smelt fish." Cheryl explained, the disgust at humanity clear in her voice. 

Veronica came over to join in meeting their little guest, and at seeing all the smiling faces before him, the kitten let out a mew, wriggling around in the towel until he could rub his face against Cheryl's hand, effectively causing her to melt a little inside.

"I was thinking of naming him Jay…" Cheryl murmured softly, thinking of how she'd found him while paying respects to Jason. She kept staring down at the little bundle of joy before glancing up at Betty, who looked just as content with the name decision as she felt. "Do you think your mom would let me keep him here?" She asked, sounding timid for the first time in a long time, and Betty looked at her like she had two heads.

"Are you crazy? Of course Mom will let you keep him here. She's crazy about animals, Polly too. They're both going to flip when they get back from Polly's ultrasound." Betty said, having no doubt in her mind that her mom would be perfectly happy to accommodate little Jay. Cheryl beamed with pride, and with that, the tree girls returned to fawning over the kitten.

* * *

 

Within a week, Jay was practically Cheryl's shadow. He'd been getting bigger, already at the latter stages of kittenhood when Cheryl found him, and was no getting into all sorts of mischief. Whether it was startling Alice while she was cooking (not that it annoyed her, she too was head over heels with love for Jay), or choosing to lay smack dab in the middle of Betty's science homework that she was so desperately trying to compete on time. None of these little escapades could live up to how close he was with Cheryl though. He'd follow her practically everywhere, either right behind her feet, or riding on her shoulders, he was with her. He loved to bat at her hair, and still had some fascination with hooping her nose. Even at dinner, he'd be curled up by her feet, or better yet, sitting in her lap, head poking up to just sit level with the table, ears and eyes the only thing visible to the Cooper girls, and more often than not Veronica as well. 

Jay was just something special for Cheryl. He slept with her, and seemed to ward off any dreams about Jason's death, and how her father was his murderer. He chased away any dreams about the tragic memories of Sweetwater River, instead replacing them with the memories of when Cheryl had found him. He was her companion, and looked out for her, sensing when she was stressed and needed some loving. It was everything Cheryl had ever wanted, ever needed. And of course, it certainly helped that it came to her in a particularly adorable furry little package.


End file.
